YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – The private ride-hailing service Uber officially launched operations Thursday in Myanmar’s main city Yangon, aiming to tap into one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing online markets.
The launch follows Singapore-based GrabTaxi’s debut, which began a trial run in the Southeast Asian country about six weeks ago.
Uber is one of the world’s largest on-demand transportation platforms. It is seeking an alliance with the government to smooth acceptance of the use of private vehicles for commercial transport.
A taxi ride in Myanmar usually involves negotiating prices, no use of meters and a lack of air conditioning or seat belts. Using a ride-hailing app is still a relatively new concept, though the practice has been gaining in popularity.
Local travel services start-up Oway and Hello Cabs, a rival service run by a construction and auto dealership tycoon, also provide ride-hailing services.